The Lord, ever the well-wisher of His devotees, addressed Akrura with affection and confidence. “You are most capable of seeking our friends’ welfare,” He said. “Go now to Hastināpura, and learn of the condition of the Pāṇḍavas. We have heard that, after the passing of their father, the children and their mother were brought to their own city by the king. They now reside there, but are deeply distressed. Among them, the king—son of Ambikā—is not impartial toward his brother’s sons; surely, under the sway of his wicked son, his vision is clouded. Go and see for yourself how matters stand, whether good or bad. Having understood their present situation, we will act in a way that ensures the welfare of our friends.” Thus instructed by Lord Hari, the Supreme Controller, Akrura made ready to depart. The Lord, together with Sankarṣaṇa and Uddhava, returned to His residence. Journeying to Hastināpura, renowned among the kings of the Paurava line, Akrura arrived and beheld the son of Ambikā, along with Bhīṣma, Vidura, and Pṛthā. He also saw Bāhlīka with his son, Bhāradvāja with Gautama, Karṇa, Suyodhana, Aśvatthāmā, the Pāṇḍavas, and many other friends and relatives. As the son of Gāndinī, Akrura approached each relative in the manner appropriate to their relationship, exchanging inquiries about the welfare of friends and kin. Desiring to discern the true state of affairs, Akrura remained in Hastināpura for a few months, observing the conduct of the king, who was ill-advised, lacking in substance, and swayed by those of wicked intent. He noticed that the king did not wish to see the brilliance, strength, valor, humility, and other virtues of the sons of Pṛthā, nor did he delight in the affection the people bore toward them. During his stay, Pṛthā and Vidura related to him all the wrongs and misdeeds committed by the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—poisonings and other injustices—without omitting any detail. When Pṛthā, the noble Kuntī, saw her brother Akrura, she approached him with eyes brimming with tears, her heart aching as she remembered her birthplace. With a gentle voice she asked, “O gentle one, do my parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, sisters-in-law, and friends still remember us? And what of the illustrious Krishna, my cousin, the beloved refuge of His devotees, and Rama, the lotus-eyed? Do they remember their maternal aunt’s children? In the midst of my co-wives, I am like a grieving doe among wolves. Krishna will surely console me with His words, and comfort my children, who are bereft of their father.” Her sorrow poured forth in prayer: “Krishna, Krishna, great yogi, soul of the universe, creator of the world, protect me, O Govinda! I have taken refuge in You and am sinking together with my children. I see no other refuge for anyone than Your lotus feet, O Lord, who delivers from the fearful ocean of birth and death. Salutations to Krishna, the pure, the Supreme Spirit, the Supreme Soul, Lord of yoga and embodiment of yoga; I have sought refuge in You.” Thus, remembering her relatives and Krishna, the Lord of the universe, Kuntī, your great-grandmother, O King, prayed, her heart heavy with sorrow. The noble Vidura, impartial in happiness and distress, and the renowned Akrura, comforted Kuntī with words of reason, reminding her of the divine circumstances of her sons’ birth. When it was time for Akrura to depart, he approached the ruler, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was partial to his own sons, and spoke among the assembled friends and relatives, moved by goodwill. “O descendant of Vicitravīrya, you who increase the fame of the Kurus, now that your brother Pāṇḍu has departed, you have assumed the throne. By ruling the earth righteously, pleasing the people with virtue, and remaining impartial to your own, you will attain prosperity and fame. But if you act otherwise, you will be condemned and fall into darkness. Therefore, remain impartial toward both the Pāṇḍavas and your own sons. “In this world, O King, no one has perpetual association with anyone—not even with one’s own body, let alone wife, sons, and others. A being is born alone and dies alone; alone one enjoys the results of good deeds, and alone also the results of evil. Wealth acquired unrighteously is seized by others of little intelligence, just as leeches take water under the pretext of friendship. He who, lacking wisdom, supports others unrighteously, finds that his life, wealth, sons, and others abandon him unfulfilled. Having taken on sin himself, abandoned by those for whom he was not wise in wealth, he, failing in his purpose, enters blind darkness, turning away from his own duty. Therefore, O King, seeing this world as a dream, illusion, and fantasy, know yourself by yourself, and be equal-minded and peaceful, O master.” Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied, “O lord of charity, your words are auspicious, and I am never satisfied by them, just as a mortal is never satisfied upon obtaining nectar. Still, gentle one, though words may be sweet, they do not remain steady in the heart, which is restless with the poison of attachment to one’s children, just as lightning does not linger in the sky. Who indeed can overturn the will of the Lord? He has descended in the Yadu dynasty for the removal of the earth’s burden. By His own inscrutable power, He creates this world, divides the qualities, then enters into it—unto Him, the Supreme Lord, whose play is beyond comprehension, who moves within the wheel of worldly existence, I offer my respects.” Understanding the king’s mind, Akrura, having been permitted by his friends, returned to the city of the Yadus. He reported to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa all that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had done regarding the Pāṇḍavas, for which he himself had been sent. Meanwhile, in another part of the land, Asti and Prāpti, the wives of Kaṁsa, were consumed by grief at the death of their husband. They went to the house of their father, Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, who was himself distressed. There, they revealed to him everything—the cause of their widowhood. Thus concludes these chapters of the sacred Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṁsas.